Brush for use in steam cleaning devices

ABSTRACT

A floor cleaner brush arrangement includes a housing having mounted thereto a plurality of adjacent rotating brush assemblies. The rotating brush assemblies each include bristles extending there-from downwardly to the floor and outwardly into an overlapping and intermeshing relationship with the bristles of the brush assembly or assemblies adjacent thereto. The bristles of adjacent brush assemblies cooperate when rotating to contact the floor in overlapping fashion to eliminate cleaning blind spots.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 201220197451.5, filed May 4, 2010, the entire teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to steam cleaning appliances, and more specifically to an improved brushing arrangement for use in a steam cleaning appliance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Steam cleaning appliances are widely used for cleaning surfaces such as floors. Steam can effectively dissolve dirt and stains and it eases cleaning when used in cooperation with other cleaning accessories.

Typical steam cleaning appliances for surfaces such as floors most often include either the combination of steam and a mopping cloth or the combination of steam and a bristled brush. However, mopping cloths are inadequate for removing stubborn stains and grime, and brushes require laborious back and forth scrubbing.

In order to solve the above problems, combining steam and a plurality of motor-rotated brushes to form a cleaning device would seem natural. But since, in such a combination, the bristles of adjacent brushes would naturally be mounted on rotating plates, a clearance between adjacent plates would be naturally required to avoid interference between the adjacent brushes. Such a clearance would naturally create a cleaning “blind spot” on the surface to be cleaned where the rotating bristles could not reach. The space between the areas where adjacent brushes passed . . . the “blind spot” . . . would go unscrubbed.

Additionally, it is naturally desirable to brush each area of the surface in numerous various directions to most effectively scrub it clean. To overcome the above-described blind spot and to satisfy the need to brush in numerous various directions, a laborious and repeated back and forth passing of the entire device over the surface would naturally be required.

Furthermore, because the brushes would naturally need to be rotating at a high speed in usage to scrub effectively, and because such brushing is naturally frictitious and in accumulation would be naturally abusive to the surface being cleaned, and because such a back and forth passing would naturally result in much of the surface being repeatedly and unnecessarily scrubbed in the same direction, the surface to be cleaned would naturally be subjected to an excessive amount of abuse. Thus, such a device would be naturally inclined to cause excessive damage to the surface.

There therefore exists a need for a surface cleaning device that combines steam and a plurality of motor-rotated brushes which can overcome such natural drawbacks and deficiencies, and such are objects of the instant invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention may be embodied in or may include a steam cleaner having a brushing mechanism which is able to effectively clean a surface with no blind spots or damage to the surface.

The disclosed brushing mechanism possesses at least the following advantages:

-   -   1. Because the peripheral bristles extend outwardly and are in         evenly spaced intermeshing bundles, adjacent brushes overlap to         avoid any blind spot on the floor during cleaning.     -   2. The pressure springs automatically adjust and balance the         pressure of all brushes against the floor in order to avoid         damage thereto and to apply even cleaning pressure across the         brush mechanism.     -   3. The disclosed structural arrangement allows economical and         convenient replacement of only those bristles that have become         worn from use, which is especially valuable because it is         typical that the peripheral and central bristles will wear at         differ rates during use, and that the bristles of different         brush assemblies will wear at differ rates during use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an exemplary brushing mechanism according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 is the cutaway view of the head portion of a steam cleaning appliance including the brushing mechanism of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION:

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, brush mechanism 100 consists of brush cover 102 and five similar brush assemblies; each consisting of a transmission shaft 101, a peripheral brush body 103, a central brush body 105, a mounting screw 104, and a pressure spring 106. Each peripheral brush body includes peripheral bristles 107 and each central brush body includes central bristles 108.

Each brush assembly is assembled around and including the brush cover by passing the transmission shaft down through a receiving hole in the cover, surrounding the passed-through bottom end of the transmission shaft with a pressure spring, trapping the pressure spring between the underside of the brush cover and the peripheral brush body by affixing the peripheral brush body to the transmission shaft with a mounting screw, and receiving the central brush body within the peripheral brush body so that the peripheral brush body surrounds the central brush body. The central brush body snap-fits within the peripheral brush body and is selectively removable there-from by assembly reversal for replacement thereof. The peripheral brush body is selectively removable from the brush mechanism by assembly reversal for replacement thereof.

The central bristles extend straight downwardly from the associated central brush body. The peripheral outer bristles extend downwardly and outwardly at ten to thirty angular degrees from the associated peripheral brush body. The upper ends of all bristles are secured to the associated brush body.

Each peripheral and central brush body is coaxial with the associated transmission shaft, is affixed thereto, and rotates therewith. The central bristles are co-directional with the transmission shaft while the peripheral bristles extend ten to thirty angular degrees there-from. The peripheral bristles are bundled in bristle groups that are evenly spaced around the periphery of the peripheral brush body. In the exemplary embodiment, thirty-six bundles are spaced ten degrees apart around the periphery. The spaced peripheral bristles of adjacent brush assemblies are disposed to intermesh in spur gear fashion so that the serviced areas of adjacent brush assemblies overlap as the adjacent brush assemblies rotate to eliminate any blind spot there-between.

The pressure spring associated with each brush assembly engages both the brush assembly and the brush cover to bias the brush assembly downwardly relative to the brush cover.

Each central inner brush body rigidly engages the inside of the peripheral brush body, which in turn is rigidly affixed to the associated transmission shaft by the mounting screw so that the brush bodies and their associated bristles rotate with the associated transmission shaft.

Adjacent brush assemblies intermesh and overlap as they rotate so that there can be no blind spot between adjacent brushes during cleaning. The pressure spring adjust and balances downward pressure of the brush bristles against the floor in order to avoid damage thereto and uneven cleaning thereof. 

1. A floor cleaner brush arrangement comprising: a housing having mounted thereto a plurality of adjacent rotating brush assemblies, the rotating brush assemblies each comprising bristles extending there-from downwardly to the floor and outwardly into an overlapping and intermeshing relationship with the bristles of the brush assembly or assemblies adjacent thereto; whereby the bristles of adjacent brush assemblies cooperate when rotating to contact the floor in overlapping fashion.
 2. The floor cleaner brush arrangement of claim 1, further comprising a spring biasing each brush assembly towards the floor relative to the housing, independent of the remaining brush assemblies.
 3. The floor cleaner brush arrangement of claim 2, wherein each brush assembly is affixed to the brush arrangement by a mounting screw, and is removable and replaceable from the brush arrangement there-through. 